Featured Advice

Careers rarely develop the way we plan them. Our career path often takes many twists and turns, with particular events, choices and people influencing our direction.

We asked Tomas Flanagan from St. Michael's House to give some advice for people considering this job:

I would advise anyone interested in Occupational Therapy to read up on the profession or else try to meet a qualified Occupational Therapist and talk to them about their work.

The internet can be a great resource in getting information. Also information from the universities might indicate if this is a course that is suited to you. A lot of the course work relies on you being a self-directed learner. This makes the course different to other more mainstream/academic courses as the onus is on the student to complete a lot of work independently.

As this is a caring profession an interest in working with people is a must. You also need to be a good communicator as you will be working closely with clients, families and other staff on an ongoing basis.

Organisational skills are essential to enable you to manage a caseload.

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Self Assessment

What are your interests?

Linguistic?

The Linguistic's interests are usually focused on ideas and information exchange. They tend to like reading a lot, and enjoy discussion about what has been said. Some will want to write about their own ideas and may follow a path towards journalism, story writing or editing. Others will develop skills in other languages, perhaps finding work as a translator or interpreter. Most Linguistic types will enjoy the opportunity to teach or instruct people in a topic they are interested in.

As an employee, you are entitled to receive certain basic employment rights. Although some industries entitle employees to different rights, the list below is the minimum you should receive.

A written statement of terms and conditions of employment. Whilst the full contract does not have to be in writing, certain terms and conditions of your employment must be stated in writing within two months of starting employment. These would typically include the method of calculating pay and whether or not there is a sick pay scheme in operation. (For fixed term employees it would also include in what circumstances your employment will come to an end.)

A written statement of pay or ‘payslip’. Your payslip should set out gross pay and list all deductions made from it.

A minimum wage

Experienced adult workers in Ireland are entitled to be paid €9.25 per hour [from 1 January 2017]. However, the national minimum wage (NMW) does not stop an employer from offering a higher wage.

There are some exceptions to the minimum wage, including those employed by close relatives, those aged under 18 and trainees or apprentices.

National Minimum Wage Rates [2017]

Minimum hourly rate of pay

% of minimum wage

Experienced adult worker

€9.25*

100%

Aged under 18 (70% of minimum wage)

€6.48

70%

First year from date of first employment aged over 18

€7.40

80%

Second year from date of first employment aged over 18

€8.32

90%

Note: There are also certain industries in Ireland where a higher minimum wage applies, including the construction industry. Further information on these industries is available here.

*From 1st January 2018 the Minimum wage rate increases to €9.55.

Young people

As a young person, you have rights when you are at work. It is important that you make yourself aware of your rights and entitlements and exercise them.

For a regular full-time job, the minimum age is 16. If you are aged 14 or 15:

You can only do light work during the school holidays.

You can take part in work experience during term time.

You must have at least a 3-week break during the summer holidays.

You may be employed in film, theatre, sports or advertising (under licence).

Maximum hours of work per week

As a young person, you cannot be asked to work beyond the maximum hours for your age.

Hours of work

aged 14 years

aged 15 years

aged 16/17/ years

During term time

none

8 hours per week

40 hours per week

(max. 8 hours per day)

During holiday time

35 hours per week

(max. 7 hours per day)

35 hours per week

(max. 7 hours per day)

40 hours per week

Work experience

40 hours per week

(max. 8 hours per day)

40 hours per week

(max. 8 hours per day)

40 hours per week

All workers have the following basic rights

A maximum working week average of 48 hours a week based on an average calculated over a four, six, or twelve-month period depending on the industry. Your employer must keep a record of how many hours you work.

Unpaid breaks during working hours

You have the right to a 15-minute break if working four and a half hours of work and a 30-minute break if working six hours of work.

Annual leave from work

Full-time workers have the right to four working weeks paid annual leave per year. Part-time workers have the right to a proportional amount of annual leave based on the amount of time they work.

A minimum amount of notice before dismissal

You are entitled to a minimum amount of notice if your employment ceases. The minimum amount of notice depends on the length of service.

The National Employment Rights Authority (NERA) was established under the Social Partnership Agreement "Towards 2016" to achieve a national culture of employment rights compliance. It provides information to employees and employers through its information unit, monitors employment conditions through its inspection services and can enforce compliance and seek redress.

The Labour Court was established to provide a free, comprehensive service for the resolution of disputes about industrial relations, equality, organisation of working time, national minimum wage, part-time work and fixed-term work matters.

The Employment Appeals Tribunal is an independent body established to provide a speedy, inexpensive and relatively informal means for adjudication of disputes on employment rights under the various legislations that come within the Tribunal’s scope. Their goal is that customers using the service will be satisfied overall with the service they have received from the Tribunal.

The Equality Tribunal is the impartial forum to hear or mediate complaints of alleged discrimination under equality legislation. It is independent and quasi-judicial and its decisions and mediated settlements are legally binding.

The HSA is the state sponsored body in Ireland with responsibility for securing safety, health and welfare at work and operate under the Safety, Health and Welfare at Work Act 2005. Working in partnership with employers and employees, our responsibility is to ensure that safety and health in the workplace is a key priority for everyone.

The Pensions Board has a role in relation to occupational pensions and Personal Retirement Savings Accounts (PRSAs).

Employer Rights & Responsibilities

Employment law has become increasingly complex over the past number of years and there are over 30 pieces of major employment legislation in Ireland. The need for organisations to ensure compliance with legislation is greater than ever, as the level of claims, inspections and fines are increasing each year.

IBEC (Irish Business and Employers Confederation) provide a useful section on Employment Law on their website to assist employers understand the issues they may be faced with.

Develop a Can-Do Attitude

The first step is believing that you can do it. Develop the self-confidence to try. It's the assumption of success that provides the spark.